Base and lamp adaptor for &#34;push to insert&#34; lamp base and socket combination



Jan. 14, 1969 v, PLAGGE I v 3,422,393

BASE AND LAMP ADAPTOR FOR "PUSH TO INSERT" LAMP I BASE AND SOCKET COMBINATION Filed Jan. l6, 1967 WITNESSES v 'INVENTOR m Vernon L. Plogge I J BY I ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Electric lamp base and socket adaptor combination for rapid and simple lamp replacement. The socket adaptor screws into a standard socket and incorporates a female snap fastener and spring conductors for both electrical connection and mechanical support. The male portion of the snap fastener is affixed to the lamp base and is guided into connecting position by the spring conductors.

Background of the invention This invention relates to a combination electric lamp base and socket adaptor, which makes possible a simplified installation and maintenance process for lamps.

There have been many attempts to achieve a simplified installation and maintenance procedure for standard electric lamps. These attempts have centered on modifying the lamp base for use with a standard electrical socket. The fact that there are a variety of electrical sockets and varying manufacturing standards and tolerances for these sockets has complicated the search for such a universal base. An alternative approach would be to provide a socket adaptor which can be seated in any of these sockets, and then to provide a modified base for use with this socket adaptor. Manufacturing costs of such a socket adaptor have a critical effect on consumer acceptance. The standard lamp which a consumer purchases is a relatively inexpensive item. This requires that the socket adaptor be manufactured for a correspondingly low cost,

There are known in the art numerous socket adaptor devices. A plug adaptor is disclosed by Benjamin, Patent No. 1,103,250, dated July 14, 1914. This adaptor was particularly designed for the current carrying requirements of an electrical plug. For this reason the adaptor is a sturdy machined apparatus. The bulk and relative complexity of this adaptor makes it a relatively expensive item to product. Another adaptor element particularly designed for current carrying plugs is disclosed by Moline, Patent No. 1,653,724, dated Dec. 27, 1927. This incorporated a spring contact means to enable its use with the standard threaded electrical socket. This plug adaptor used the spring contact means as the sole support of the plug for retaining it in the socket.

Summary of the invention It is an object of this invention to provide an economical electrical socket adaptor and lamp base which will allow the simplified installation and removal of an electric lamp from an electrical socket by a pushing force for insertion, and a pulling force for removal.

3,422,393 Patented Jan. 14, 1969 ice It is another object of this invention to provide an improved adaptor and base combination wherein the adaptor can be used with-standard lamp sockets and is very inexpensive to manufacture and, in addition, operates very effectively to support the lamp.

The aforementioned objects, and others which will become apparent as the description proceeds, are accomplished by providing a very simple socket adaptor, and a new lamp base for use with this adaptor. The adaptor is threaded to screw into a standard electrical socket. The adaptor electrically contacts and supports the lamp base by means of a snap fastener which is a part of the adaptor. The adaptor also has spring contacts for guiding the base into position and also for electrically contacting the conductive shell of the lamp base. This adaptor and base allows the insertion of a lamp with a minimum of applied force. The simplicity of design of the adaptor element is particularly significant since it will allow its manufacture at a very low cost.

Brief description of the drawings A better understanding of the invention can be had by referring to the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, showing the base and socket adaptor in engaged position;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the present lamp base separated from the socket adaptor which is shown in section;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view in section of another embodiment of the socket adaptor wherein the resilient collar is formed of a plurality of resilient arms.

Description of the preferred embodiments With specific reference to the form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 the socket adaptor 10 comprises an electrically conductive, substantially hollow, generally cylindrical threaded member} 12, The socket adaptor 10 is designed to be screwed into a standard electrical threaded socket. A rigid, electrically insulating retaining means 14 is mechanically afiixed firmly proximate one end of the hollow threaded cylindrical member 12. The retaining means '14 is formed of a plastic disk or preformed washer. An electrically conductive adaptor center contact 16 is firmly affixed to this rigid retaining means 14. The adaptor center contact 16 extends through the retaining means 14 to provide a projecting surface 18 exterior to the adaptor cylindrical member 12. This projecting surface 18 serves to electrically contact the center contact of an electrical socket, when the adaptor is screwed into the socket. The adaptor center contact 16 also projects interiorly within the adaptor cylindrical member 12, and is formed as a resilient collar 20. This resilient collar 20 serves as the female member of an electrically conductive snap fastener. This resilient collar 20 is preferably formed having a continuous surface, but could be formed as shown in FIG. 3 as a plurality of resilient projecting arms 19 about a central axis and the male element of the snap fastener means is insertable into the socket adaptor 10 along this central axis. The resilient collar 20 can be formed of any material having the proper resiliency such as Phosphor bronze or spring brass.

A plurality of compressible leaf-spring conductors 22 are inwardly disposed from and supported by the interior wall of the hollow threaded cylindrical member 12 and the leaf-spring conductors 22 are electrically connected to the threaded cylindrical member 12. In manufacturing this socket adaptor 10, the leaf-spring conductors 22 preferably are made by slitting the walls of the cylindrical member 12 and punching the spring conductors 22 into position, as shown in FIG. 2. To insure proper alignment of the base 24 upon insertion, the spring conductors 22 are preferably symmetrically spaced about the interior wall of the cylindrical member 12. For ease of accepting the base 24, the inwardly disposed spring conductors 22 are preferably disposed to extend in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the adaptor cylindrical member and are symmetrically disposed about the interior wall. This adaptor cylindrical member 12 is made of a suitable material such as Phosphor bronze or spring brass.

The base unit 24 comprises a generally cylindrical electrically conductive shell 26 having a smooth surface, and is connected to the sealed vitreous, light-transmitting lamp envelope 38. A non-conductive base insulator, formed as a beveled disk 28 is made from a suitable material such as glass or plastic and is affixed to one end of the cylindrical shell 26. The disk 28 has affixed proximate its center portion an electrically conductive base center contact 30. The beveled disk 28 mechanically supports the projecting base center contact 30 at the end of the base 24. The base center contact 30 in part projects from the disk 28 along the axis of the cylindrical shell 26. The projecting part of the base center contact 30 is provided with a circumferentially disposed indent 32, and the indented projecting portion of contact 30 is formed as the male member of the snap fastener 21, and snaps into the female member which is the resilient collar 20.

The base conductive shell 26 is connected to one lead in 36 of the lamp 38 that is afiixed to the base 24. The projecting base center contact 30 is connected to the other lead-in 40 of the lamp 38. The lead-in conductors 36 and 40 are brought through the sealed envelope and electrically connected to the tungsten filament member 42. The lead-in conductors 36 and 40 and the filament member 42 are supported within the envelope by a reentrant stem press 44.

The smooth cylindrical conductive shell 26 of the base 24 is contacted by the spring conductors 22 of the adaptor unit upon insertion of the base 24 into the socket adaptor 10. The spring conductors 22 of the adaptor also serve to align the base for proper functioning of the snap fastener.

The projecting part of the base center contact 30 and the resilient collar in combination comprise a snap fastener 21, being respectively the male and female member of the snap fastener 21.

When the base unit 24 is axially inserted into the socket adaptor 10, the base shell 26 compresses the leaf spring conductors 22 effecting electrical contact and, in addition, the leaf springs 22 also align and support the base facilitating proper mechanical interlocking of the snap fastener 21. While the snap fastener 21 serves as the primary mechanical support for the base and lamp, the leaf-spring conductors 22 also support the base and lamp. This snap fastener 21 also serves as an electrical conductor when the projecting part of the base center contact has been mechanically retained by the resilient collar 20 of the socket adaptor 10.

It will be recognized that the objects of the invention have been achieved by providing a simple and inexpensive socket adaptor, and a new lamp base to be used with this adaptor. This combination allows the insertion or removal of a lamp from an adapted socket with a minimum of effort. A predetermined pushing force sufiicient to engage the snap fastener is needed for installation and ,afpnllingforcetotdisengage thesnap fastener allows removal of the-lamp.

' While the best embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described hereinbefore, it is to be particularly understood that theinvention is not limited thereto or thereby.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with an incandescent lamp comprising a sealed vitreous light transmitting envelope, a tungsten filament member, support means within said envelope for said filament, and lead-in conductors sealed through said envelope and electrically connected to said filament, the improved lamp base and electrical socket adaptor combination which comprises:

(a) said electrical socket adaptor comprising:

(i) an electrically conductive, substantially hollow, generally cylindrical threaded member adapted to be screwed into standard electrical threaded socket and having a conductive shell and a center contact,

(ii) a rigid electrically insulating retaining means firmly afiixed to said hollow threaded cylindrical member proximate one end thereof,

(iii) an electrically conductive adaptor center contact firmly affixed to and mechanically supported by said insulating retaining means proximate the center portion thereof and extending through said insulating retaining means, said adaptor center contact having a surface projecting exteriorly of said cylindrical threaded member and serving to electrically contact the center contact of said electrical socket upon screwing said adaptor into said electrical socket, and said adaptor center contact also projecting interiorly within said cylindrical member,

(iv) a female element of an electrically conductive snap fastener means formed as a resilient collar by a portion of the said adaptor center contact which projects interiorly within said cylindrical member,

(v) a plurality of compressible leaf-spring conductor means supported by and in electrical contact with said conductive threaded cylindrical member, and said leaf spring means being inwardly disposed from the interior wall of said threaded cylindrical member;

(b) said electric lamp base comprising:

(i) a generally cylindrical electrically conductive shell connected to said lamp envelope and having one of said lamp lead-in conductors connected thereto,

(ii) an electrically insulating bevelled disk member affixed to one end of said cylindrical shell,

(iii) an electrically conductive base center contact firmly afiixed to said bevelled disk member proximate the center portion thereof, a part of said base center contact projecting from said disk member along the axis of said base cylindrical shell, the projecting portion of said base center contact having an indent circumferentially disposed thereabout, said base center contact projection serving as the male element of said snap fastener means, and said base center contact means having the other of said lamp lead-in conductors connected thereto; and

(c) said base upon insertion into said socket adaptor compressing said adaptor leaf-spring conductor means to eifect electrical contact with said base conductive shell and align said base for proper mechanical interlocking of said base center contact and said adaptor center contact, which are respectively the male and female members of said snap fastener means, whereby said snap-fastener means and said leaf-spring conductors both support said lamp and effect electrical connection thereto. 7 2. ,The combination'as specified claim 1 adaptor :is a preformed washer.

V rigid electrically insulating retainingmilll 3. The combination as specified in claim 1, wherein said resilient collar which comprises the female portion of said snap fastener means is formed of a plurality of projecting arms about a central axis, and said male element of said snap fastener means is insertable into said socket adaptor along said central axis.

4. The combination as specified in claim 1, wherein said compressible leaf-springs are disposed to extend in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the said cylindrical member.

5. The combination as specified in claim 4, wherein the said leaf-spring conductors are symmetrically spaced about the interior wall of said cylindrical member.

6. The combination as specified in claim 5, wherein the said leaf-spring conductors are made by slitting the walls of said adaptor cylindrical member and punching the said leaf-spring conductors into position.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 425,741 4/1890 Bradley 339-256 985,775 3/1911 Both 339169 2,056,502 10/1936 Borell 339-169 X 3,218,606 11/1965 Schultz 339-256 MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

JOHN R. MOSS, Assistant Examiner. 

